Have you ever ran into a product, that as soon as you used it you wonder, why didn’t I think of that?
I pulled out one of my guns equipped with a Vortex Venom for a little practice and to finish breaking in a new holster. I put the holster on my belt and picked up the gun, inserted it into the holster and headed out to the 25 yard range.
When I got there I noticed the cover for the Venom was gone. Thinking I left it in the house I went ahead and shot for a while not giving it another thought. That little cover falling off is a regular issue with these covers. I went back to the house where I put the gun on my belt and it wasn’t there. By now you’re probably laughing and wondering what difference does it make. Obviously when carrying the gun in the holster as a defensive tool the cover will not be on the sight but when hunting or storing the gun it is a whole different matter. The compact red dot sights tend to collect dust far worse than scopes.
Obviously when you are hunting and using a red dot sight rain, snow and other debris are a constant problem as well.
When carrying them as a defensive tool it is a regular practice to check the glass and clean as needed but while hunting or storing the gun that is a chore that doesn’t regularly take place. You usually don’t realize you have a problem until you need the sight then you don’t have the ability to clean or clear it quickly. The cheap little cover is a good defense against this problem but anytime you pick up the gun you risk losing it. It is the nature of the beast. After hunting for a while I located my missing cover (the second one I have bought after losing them) and put it back on the gun before storing it till the next outing. I remember thinking they could make this so much better.
They didn’t but thankfully Dream Plastics did. I only learned of this company recently, and after checking out their covers on their website, I got some coming my way. Being in business myself I am always curious about successful businesses so I inquired about their company. Dream Plastics started in 2009 after the recession as a way for the owners to keep the employees of their successful Mold & Engineering Co. They wanted their employees to keep getting a paycheck. They started out making model helicopters. One of the owners is an avid gun and shooting enthusiast and he came up with the idea to mold the covers for optical sights. The sights aren’t cheap and they need protection. The idea took off and in 2018 they introduced their first sight covers for the Burris FastFire 2 and 3. They now make covers for over 40 sights. They are made in the original Mold & Engineering shop in Michigan. I love it that they are American made. They are sold on eBay, Amazon and on their own website.
As soon as I took one out of the package I realized they nailed it. Molded from neoprene, this cover is molded to fit tightly on the sight. No more falling off, leading to a 30 minute search.
I put one on a Venom and shoved it in the holster. The particular gun I pulled out first is intentionally set up to hunt in extreme weather so the cover would be a great addition. The cover stayed put. It has a tab on the front that tucks in the edge of the holster. The tab may also be used to attach a lanyard to the holster, to further prevent loss of the cover once the gun is drawn in extreme situations. The cover is molded so that it fits snugly over the lens hood on the sight, even when holstered. Of course the question has to be asked, “how does it work in extreme cold and wet weather?” Does it stay flexible and stay on the sight ? Does it become brittle when cold? To answer this question I stuck the whole gun in the freezer for 2 hours. Using an electronic thermometer I was able to get the temperature of the gun and sight with the cover installed down to -9° F. The cover remained pliable and there was no discernible difference in how it came off or reinstalled on the sight. Even after soaking the gun with water simulating rain, it kept the sight dry and usable.
Obviously it isn’t going to protect the sight from complete submersion, but as far as hunting in the rain or snow the sight will stay clear and usable.
I decided to go woodsbumming to see if it would stay in place. After walking through thickets and even intentionally rubbing up against brush it never moved. I pulled the gun to see how long it would take to remove it if the need arose. I could draw the gun and clear the sight in under 2 seconds. . I used a two handed technique to do this. Draw, flip cover with my support hand as I raised it to fire.
On some gun/ sight combos it could easily be flicked off during the draw with the strong hand. For guns used in the field which mine are, it is perfect. The first ones I got were for the Vortex Venoms and a HoloSun 507c. I will order more now that I know they work, they are relatively inexpensive. The covers come packed with two in each pack. The price for the Vortex Venom covers was $18.95 and the covers for the 507c was $15.00. In business we call products like this “cheap insurance”.
Stay safe and happy handgun hunting.